Petty or justified? Erling Haaland sues airline over post made during World Cup featuring his blonde ponytail

Erling Haaland is taking Norwegian Air Shuttle to court over a marketing post published during the 2026 World Cup that featured a distinctive part of his image. The airline’s social media campaign showed an aircraft carrying the blonde ponytail that had become closely associated with Haaland during his stellar run with Norway, despite the striker having since cut his famous hair short. The post was later removed, but the use of Haaland’s recognisable image has now become the subject of a legal dispute.Haaland's legal team says the airline used his distinctive characteristicsAccording to Aftenposten, the case centres on an alleged breach of marketing law after Norwegian published a social media post featuring an aircraft digitally edited with blonde hair tied into a ponytail, resembling Haaland’s former hairstyle. The post carried the caption, “We’ve never looked more Norwegian,” before being deleted by the airline.Haaland and York Promotions Ltd filed the lawsuit through the law firm Schjodt, with the case now set to move towards an initial digital planning meeting at Oslo District Court on October 9.Haaland’s lawyer, Thomas Hagen, confirmed the legal action in an email to Norwegian tabloid newspaper Verdens Gang.“We confirm that, on behalf of York Promotions Limited and Haaland, we have filed a lawsuit against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA,” Hagen said.He said the dispute concerns what Haaland and his representatives consider to be an unlawful use of the striker’s “distinctive characteristics” to market flight tickets during the football World Cup.The lawsuit does not appear to have been accompanied by a publicly detailed financial claim, with the precise amount of damages or compensation being sought not publicly specified in the material surrounding the case.Norwegian says it was supporting the national teamNorwegian has confirmed that it received the lawsuit, although the airline says it does not understand why the legal action has been brought.Eivind Hammer Myhre, a duty media officer for Norwegian, said the company viewed the post as part of its support for Norway during the World Cup rather than an attempt to make an unlawful commercial use of Haaland’s identity.“It is true that we have received a lawsuit, we do not understand the reason for it,” Myhre said.“Like most Norwegians, we took part in supporting the national team this summer, through a few spontaneous posts based on trends popular on social media.”Myhre said the airline regarded the lawsuit as an unfortunate response to what it described as expressions of support for Norway’s players.“It is unfortunate that cheers of support were met with a lawsuit, but we hope for a sensible dialogue so that in the future we too will be allowed to continue supporting our shared sporting heroes,” he added.The next formal step is scheduled for October 9, when representatives of the two sides are due to take part in a digital planning meeting at Oslo District Court.Haaland's former hairstyle became part of the disputeThe airline’s post referred to an appearance that Haaland himself had already moved away from by the time the dispute emerged.On August 23, 2026, the Manchester City forward cut his long blonde hair into a short, military-style buzz cut, bringing an end to the hairstyle that had become closely associated with his public image.Haaland revealed the change in a viral vlog published on YouTube and across social media, accompanied by the caption, “Short hair don't care.”He had grown the long hairstyle since 2021, wearing it in different forms including a ponytail and man-bun during his rise to global prominence with Manchester City and Norway.In the vlog, Haaland explained that he had been considering cutting his hair since Norway’s World Cup campaign ended in July, when the team reached the quarter-finals before losing 2–1 to England.He ultimately waited until the eve of the 2026/27 domestic season before making the change, describing the haircut as part of a “fresh start”.Haaland had played a central role in Norway’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals, making the hairstyle used in Norwegian’s deleted social media post particularly recognisable to supporters.The legal dispute now turns on whether the airline’s use of those recognisable characteristics crossed the line from social media support for the national team into unlawful marketing, a distinction that Haaland’s representatives and Norwegian currently view very differently.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.